Cancer-Fighting Food Tactics

Understanding how and what to eat when you're fighting cancer

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By Michelle Kiefer, Special Contributor
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3 had a friend /ith cancer /ho had been con9inced that his diet /as a cause of his disease= 3n a search for
ans/ers, he bla(ed dairy as one of the culprits= 8e did his best to a9oid it, e9en thou2h fro( his hospital
bed, /here his /ei2ht /as rapidly droppin2 by the day, all he cra9ed /as a (il$sha$e=
-hen you*re li9in2 /ith cancer, $no/in2 ho/ to eat can be confusin2 D all the (ore so because the
e<perience of cancer is so indi9idualiEed= Mar2aret Fie2ler of Me(orial Sloan,Ketterin2 Cancer Center
e<plains /hat a cancer patient is up a2ainst, G.9ery person /ith cancer has a uniHue e<perience, and you
don7t $no/ /hat to e<pect= There7s an o9erload of infor(ation D fro( the 3nternet, friends, fa(ily D and
it7s not al/ays accurate= 3t beco(es o9er/hel(in2=I
Clic# here for the Cancer-Fighting Food Tactics $lideshow%
Thou2h the basic tenets of a healthy diet re(ain the sa(e (eatin2 plant,based foods, /hole 2rains, and
lean proteins, there are no all,inclusi9e reco((endations that can be offered /hen ad9isin2 one /hat to
eat if they ha9e cancer, no Gone,fits,allI diet plan= GThe types of nutrients and foods that a cancer
patient needs (ore of are really hard to pinpoint, because the needs are so indi9idualiEed,I says Colleen
#oyle, director of nutrition and physical acti9ity at the '(erican Cancer Society= G#ependin2 on
so(eone7s nutritional status at the point of dia2nosis, the sta2e of dia2nosis, the type of treat(ent, ho/
they respond to treat(ent, /hat side effects they (ay e<perience=== the list 2oes on=I
This is /here the role of a dietician beco(es so i(portant= 'ccordin2 to Mary .9e Bro/n, a nutrition
specialist at >ohns 8op$ins, G' dietician $no/s /hat the challen2es are and can 2i9e people the tools to
/or$ /ith=I #ieticians focus on helpin2 patients (aintain a healthy /ei2ht (both /ei2ht loss and /ei2ht
2ain can occur dependin2 on the type of cancer and treat(ent, and (ana2in2 the sy(pto(s that can
arise such as loss of appetite, nausea, taste chan2es, diarrhea, or (outh soreness= #ieticians also help
patients build a Gtool $itI of strate2ies to deal /ith the challen2es of eatin2 /hile li9in2 /ith cancer,
pro9idin2 su22estions on ho/ to structure (eal ti(es, recipes for healthy snac$s, and easy prep tools=
$lideshow& Cancer-Fighting Food Tactics $lideshow
-ith all of the stresses that co(e /ith cancer, nutrition (ay be the last thin2 on a person7s (ind, but
Fie2ler e(phasiEes, G!ood is as i(portant as (edicine= Patients that are able to stay hydrated and /ell,
nourished reco9er (ore Huic$ly=I .atin2 a hi2hly nutritious diet is an essential part of cancer reco9ery,
but so(eti(es it helps to be re(inded that food should ne9er be a source of 2uilt, either= G-e can7t
control e9erythin2,I nutritionist Carol Sulli9an points out= GPeople put pressure on the(sel9es to eat a
certain /ay, but eatin2 should ne9er be stressful= Moderation is i(portant=I My friend should ha9e had
that (il$sha$e, and %0 (ore after it= -hen so(eone is 2oin2 throu2h so(ethin2 as difficult as cancer, it
can so(eti(es be necessary to ta$e a step bac$ and e(brace the basic, healin2 potential of food=
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